The Horizon franchise is about to shake things up with its upcoming spin-off Horizon Hunters Gatheringand curious fans will get to check it out this weekend during the game's first playtest. Horizon Hunters Gathering is an upcoming co-op live-service game set in Horizon universe, and players are about to get a first sneak peek at what the game has to offer.
Horizon Hunters Gathering was announced in early February, and it already looks like a huge departure from the PlayStation exclusive series' usual formula. From a different, more stylized art style to its live-service setting, this new one Horizon the multiplayer game is a surprising twist for the franchise. There have been rumors and leaks about a multiplayer Horizon game for a while now, and Horizon Hunters Gathering makes its surprise debut shows that Guerrilla Games has indeed been working on a collaborative project.
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After confirming the series' next main antagonist, Horizon 3's story may face an uphill battle in characterizing that threat.
Horizon Hunters Gathering is hosting its first closed playtest this weekend
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The playtest runs from Friday, February 27 to Sunday, March 1.
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Both PS5 and PC users will be allowed to participate in the test.
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PC users access the game via Steam.
As this playtest is closed, it means that only those who are part of the PlayStation beta program are eligible to test the game. There is still some time to sign up before the playtest launch. Once Friday is here though, it won't be possible to sign up, so Horizon fans who are interested will want to act fast. Also, Horizon Hunters Gatherings playtest is not available for all countries. Only players in North America and Europe will be able to participate. Like waiting for more Horizon 3 the news continues, Horizon Hunters Gathering is the first part of Horizon content fans have been getting for a while.
North American servers are scheduled to be open from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM Pacific Time. European servers will be live between 19:00 and 22:00 Central European Time.
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There is still a lot of mystery surrounding Horizon Hunters Gathering. A co-op Horizon spin-off is a bold step away from the series' single-player narrative approach, but Guerrilla Games has at least offered some insight into what to expect. The game supports up to three players, or Hunters, while the game is tactical and skill-based. The hunters that players will be able to choose during the playtest are named Axle, Sun and Rem. There are also two confirmed game modes. Machine Incursion is a wave-based mode and Cauldron Descent is a multi-stage dungeon exploration mode. Both are also confirmed to be part of the upcoming playtest.
Horizon Hunters Gathering will become canon to the greater horizon universe
One of the most important things that do Horizon Hunters Gathering so exciting is that it will play a role Horizons ongoing story. Guerrilla Games' official press release for the game states: “The game has a narrative campaign that will introduce new mysteries, characters and threats, but we're keeping it under wraps for now. What we can say is that Hunters gather is full canon and its story doesn't end at launch!” Once the game is released, it will be interesting to see how it expands Horizon franchise lore.
The Horizon Hunters Gathering playtest also happens at an odd time. Hosted by Sony Marathon Server Slam this weekend too. Marathons journey to the finish line has been filled with obstacles, and Horizon Hunters Gathering has left some franchise fans frustrated that a multiplayer spin-off with live services is being released before Horizon 3. So it will be fascinating to see what the feedback for both games will be after the weekend is over.
